Maintaining Patient Trust is a Physician’s Foremost Responsibility: His Excellency the Vice PresidentGrand Ceremony Marks the 6th Convocation of AIIMS, Rishikesh

6th Convocation Ceremony of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, was grandly organized on Thursday. During the ceremony, the country’s Vice President, Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan, honored 11 medical students by presenting them with gold medals at the 6th Convocation of AIIMS Rishikesh. Additionally, degrees were conferred upon 386 students of the institute during the convocation ceremony. Speaking on this occasion, he addressed the medical students who had received their degrees and were embarking on their careers as physicians, stating that upholding the patient’s trust must be a doctor’s primary responsibility. He remarked that the journey of becoming a doctor involved not only the role of teachers but also the special guidance of parents; he urged the students never to forget these two pillars in their lives.
The 6th Convocation Ceremony, held at AIIMS Rishikesh on Thursday, was formally inaugurated by the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by the dignitaries present. These included the Chief Guest, the Vice President of India, Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan; the Guest of Honor, the Honorable Governor of Uttarakhand, Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh (Retd.); the Honorable Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami; the Union Minister of State (Health & Family Welfare, Chemicals & Fertilizers), Government of India, Smt. Anupriya Patel; the President of AIIMS, Professor Raj Bahadur; the Institute’s Executive Director and CEO, Professor Dr. Meenu Singh; and the Dean (Academics), Professor Dr. Saurabh Varshney.
Speaking on this occasion, the Chief Guest—His Excellency the Vice President—stated that the manner in which physicians fulfilled their professional duty to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic was highly commendable.
He noted that, driven by the government’s commitment, the vaccines developed by medical scientists were not only administered to our own citizens—thereby safeguarding their lives against COVID-19—but India also extended the availability of these vaccines to over a hundred other nations across the globe. He remarked that this initiative reinforces the spirit of *’Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’* (The World is One Family).
He further added that AIIMS Rishikesh stands today as an excellent example of how a modern institution can seamlessly integrate clinical excellence, academic prowess, research, culture, technological innovation, and social commitment.  His Excellency stated that over the past decade, AIIMS institutions located across the country have strengthened access to quality healthcare and medical education—particularly in regions where such facilities were previously scarce and where people were deprived of advanced medical care. He emphasized that healthcare is a public obligation.
His Excellency remarked that in a state like Uttarakhand—where geographical conditions inherently present unique challenges—AIIMS Rishikesh has played a role far more expansive than that of a traditional hospital.
The initiative to utilize drones to deliver emergency medicines to pilgrims during the Char Dham Yatra, as well as to remote areas of Uttarakhand, is highly commendable.

The State Governor, Lt. Gen. Gurmit Singh, stated that upholding a patient’s trust is the duty of every physician. He noted that a convocation ceremony marks the beginning of a new direction, a sense of responsibility, and new objectives for medical graduates. He affirmed that AIIMS Rishikesh is providing high-quality medical services to patients. He described AIIMS as a life-saving institution within the state’s medical landscape, particularly for emergency patients.
He further stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of transforming India into a developed nation by 2047 can only be realized through the sustained efforts of the youth and their unwavering commitment to working in the national interest. He reiterated that a patient’s trust is a physician’s greatest asset—one that must be preserved throughout their entire professional life.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami characterized the medical profession as a service to humanity. He noted that physicians, through their knowledge and skills, provide the “elixir of health” to the common people. In the specific context of Uttarakhand, he described AIIMS Rishikesh as a symbol of a “Temple of Health.” He called upon the newly graduated physicians to dedicate their time—whenever possible during their careers—to providing medical services to people in the remote hilly regions; by doing so, he noted, they would earn the spiritual merit of serving the “Devbhoomi” (Land of the Gods).
He also lauded AIIMS’s heli-ambulance and drone services as excellent initiatives for public health within the state, particularly during emergency situations. He added that the construction of the AIIMS Kichha Satellite Centre would further strengthen medical services across the state, thereby assisting people in obtaining treatment for even the most critical ailments.

Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, stated that this day marks the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of students who have earned degrees in the field of medicine. She remarked that the life of a physician is dedicated to society and to alleviating the suffering of the people.
She emphasized that the medical profession is not merely a career, but a powerful medium for serving humanity. She noted that, for a patient, a physician is akin to an incarnation of God; therefore, living up to the patient’s hopes and trust is a solemn and binding obligation for every physician. Consequently, every physician must make every possible effort to constantly uphold this trust reposed in them by their patients.
She further stated that the medical profession entails a lifelong commitment to learning and staying updated on the constant advancements in medical science; only then can patients benefit from the latest research. She observed that a physician’s popularity depends significantly on their mastery of the art of establishing effective coordination and communication with their patients.
She highlighted that the Central Government is investing unprecedented resources in the fields of medical education and healthcare to ensure that people have access to the most modern and superior medical treatment.
During the ceremony—jointly anchored by Dr. Manu Malhotra and Dr. Jayanti Pant—the Institute’s President, Prof. Raj Bahadur; Executive Director, Prof. Meenu Singh; and Dean of Academics, Prof. Saurabh Varshney, also shared their views.
The ceremony was attended by Haridwar MP and former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt, and Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Bansal, alongside faculty members of the institute and other distinguished guests.  Inset
Degrees Conferred Upon 386 Students
At the convocation ceremony, degrees were conferred upon students comprising 100 from the MBBS program, 89 from B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing, 1 from B.Sc. Allied Health Sciences, 29 from the MD/MS/MDS 2022 batch, 67 from the same courses in the 2023 batch, 19 from M.Sc. Nursing, 2 from M.Sc. Medical, 2 from Master of Public Health, 36 from the DM/M.Ch. 2022 batch, 30 from the same courses in the 2023 batch, and a total of 11 Ph.D. scholars.

Inset—
1. Gold Medalists
Dr. Devang Agarwal (2019 Batch, MBBS) — 7 Medals
Dr. Mehul Agarwal (2022 Batch, DM/M.Ch.)
Dr. Mayank Kapoor (2023 Batch, DM/M.Ch.)
Dr. Srijith J. (2022 Batch, MD/MS)
Dr. Balachandra Rathu (2023 Batch, MD/MS)
Dr. Rashmeet Kaur (2019 Batch, MBBS)
Aarti Rana (2021 Batch, B.Sc. Nursing)

Dr. Debang Agarwal, an MD Medicine student honored with seven gold medals at the 6th Convocation Ceremony of AIIMS Rishikesh, stated that he had not anticipated receiving the seven gold medals awarded to him for his hard work and excellence in his field; consequently, this achievement came as a complete surprise to him.
Born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, in 2001, Dr. Debang shared that while his hard work led him to expect that he would receive *a* gold medal, he certainly never imagined that he would be bestowed with seven such awards. Debang Agarwal, who was selected for the MBBS program at AIIMS Rishikesh in 2019, revealed that he had harbored the dream of becoming a doctor since his early childhood. According to Debang, “When I was very young—specifically between one and two years of age—there was a doctor named Debang in our residential colony who used to provide medical services to the residents. Inspired by the medical profession of this Dr. Debang—who shared a similar name—and observing his work ethic, I, too, began to dream of becoming a physician when I grew up. That dream has finally come true today.” He regards the Dr. Debang from his colony as his role model. Debang is the only child of his parents and aspires to serve the public through the medical profession. On Thursday, during the institute’s 6th Convocation Ceremony, Dr. Debang—an MBBS Medicine student at AIIMS Rishikesh—was honored by the Vice President of India, C.P. Radhakrishnan, with several awards, including the President’s Gold Medal, Gold Medals for securing the First, Second, and Third positions in the professional examinations, the Prof. Anil Gulati Gold Medal, the Prof. Ravikant Gold Medal, and the Prof. Shashi Prateek Gold Medal. His message to the public is to continue performing one’s duties with diligence and to remain dedicated to the service of others.